Lianna
by Ecrit
Summary: A sort of Aladdin fanfiction but with elements of Cinderella. Lianna had worked in the stables all her life until she falls into a love that she knows is doomed. To protect herself and the heart of the one she loves she leaves but fate wouldn't let her get too far.
1. Chapter 1

Lianna had worked in the stables all of her life. Her parents had either died or left her when she was very young, it wasn't something she gave much thought to really since her upbringing in the castle had left her wanting much. She was perfectly content grooming horses and occasionally helping out in the kitchens—many of the other servant girls fancied catching the eye of a knight or a duke that visited but to her nothing felt better than the stables.

She had seen the world of the noblewomen, and it wasn't something she envied much. They always had some 'duty' to their families and most of them tended to get married young to old fat men.

Sure, they got to eat well and dress well but from the complaints she'd overheard in her years here being a noblewoman was the worst.

Maybe it was because she spent so much of her time among the knights as a part of her job—she knew how these men thought. She had often heard them speak about the servant girls, generally when they mistook her for one of the stable boys. And she knew where many of the dukes spent their nights.

No, to her a life working in the stables was the best life. Of course it wasn't that she lacked ambition or imagination, but it usually never went on par with those of the other girls. If she could Lianna would have become a knight a long time ago. She had the abilities for it, she could ride just as well as any knight, and her swordplay was something to be applauded. Not that she let many recognize her when she participated. And she always made sure to know who she was up against before deciding to win or lose.

Going up against a Lord or a high-ranking Knight and winning would mean attention would be turned towards her. That wasn't something she could afford, a woman at a low rank like her being able to fight wouldn't be accepted well in the society.

She had beat the prince in a sparring match once when she was twelve and the king had ordered her to be brought forward so that she could be taught alongside the prince—of course she had been terrified because she had been dressed like a boy so they had just assumed she was a skilled stable boy from the stables.

The captain of the guard had however figured it out, and had interceded before the entire court found out that the prince had been beaten in a duel by a girl that worked in the stables.

Surprisingly, the king and the prince had taken it very well when they found out she was in fact a 'she'. The king had allowed her to continue working in the stables—so long as she didn't continue participating in the duels.

The prince and the captain of the guard had been even more considerate—they let her train alongside them. The prince had been ten at the time, two years her junior and the captain of the guard thought it would do him good to have someone close enough to his age and actually competent with a sword to fight with.

This was how she was able to continue her job at the stables, many of the young girls who worked at the stables were moved to the kitchens when they reached thirteen or fourteen but she was still working here. At the age of twenty-two she had to work pretty hard to pass of as a boy. Her hair was tied under a bandana and she made sure to wear loosely fitted pants and shirts when she left her chambers.

Her face was usually covered in soot and anything dirty she could get—therefore she was virtually unrecognizable to anyone that didn't know her well.

She was running to the stables now, the Prince had asked for her presence there. In the ten years she had gotten to know the Prince very well and she knew what he wanted her for today.

In fact, the whole kingdom knew—Prince Lucien was to choose a bride before he hit his twentieth birthday. The poor boy had been agonizing about it for the past two months. Especially to her—agonizing to no end. Every week, once a week without fail he would make her ride out with him into town so that he could get away from the train of noblewomen that had shown up at the castle.

"Lian!" She heard him as she walked into the stables. The Prince was a tall handsome fellow—at least she assumed he was. She'd grown up with him and to her he was like a brother—his face was definitely proportionate and the way the kitchen maids talked about him made him seem like some sort of Adonis.

"Shirking your duties again Lucien?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"I made sure to be done with all of my princely duties Li, and mother and father won't go looking for me this time."

"You told them where you were going?" She asked wondering what his highness' parent's reaction would be if they knew their son was looking for a wife among the commoners.

"Yes, trust me they just want me married off—they don't care if its with a commoner or an empress."

The girl shook her head. "I seriously doubt that." She muttered as they both mounted their horses and rode out.

"These women in the palace, they frighten me." He confessed when they were halfway to the city.

"You're scared of women?" She asked laughing—then thought about it. The noblewomen could get awfully frightening.

"If you were actually my sister—they'd be afraid of you to be interested in me." He added wistfully.

"Oh please, if I was your sister I would have caused wars by now." She shook her head.

"Your diplomacy would be sticking a sword through the representatives." He laughed. "At least it would be something fun."

She shook her head. "I think Anabel is the perfect sister for you—she keeps the women away from you."

"I don't know who they work harder to impress, me or her."

"Well she's perfect." Lianna replied, the prince's sister _was_ in fact perfect. At least the most perfect thing Lianna had ever seen. The girl was diplomatic, kind, beautiful beyond word and she knew the girl was smart.

She was the same age as the Prince—five minutes older but unlike the Prince the king and queen were in no hurry to marry her off. The girl had a lie of suitors that could wrap around the castle grounds twice. There was no hurry.

She had spoken with the princess a few times before—she was one of the few people that knew that the Prince's right hand man was actually a woman. However, other than greetings and sometimes helping her get her saddle Lianna didn't know her too well. She had heard word of her around the castle—through servant gossip that being the Princess' maid was the best and most relaxing job.

The girl liked to do everything on her own—she even came into the kitchens sometimes to make her own food.

"That's because you don't know her." He shook his head, "If you only knew her temper."

Lianna raised her eyebrows. "Her temper? Please… I heard she couldn't even hurt an ant."

"Not an ant maybe—but she screams at me every chance she gets."

"Well that's because its you. Lucien if anybody could anger her its you."

He shrugged. "That's true. Though she hates it when her maids hover around her—she can complain about it for hours when nobody is listening."

"You're joking." Lianna couldn't imagine the perfect princess saying anything bad about anyone.

"No way. Its true… Mother and father worry that her aversion to maids will make it hard for her once they find her someone to wed."

"Oh…" Lianna shrugged. "She has a lot of choices—its not like the kingdom is in need of money or anything so she has more freedom."

He nodded. "I guess. I just wished I could have more time."

"Why do they want you to settle down so soon?" He hadn't even reached twenty yet—and the men usually didn't get married until they hit twenty-five.

"Mother went to some astrologer and he told her something vague about my life being empty until I found my soulmate."

She shook her head. "I never understood the obsession the upper class have with fortune telling."

"Honestly me neither."

They were at the town now, and Lianna could see the tents of the circus being raised as they entered the crowd.

"The circus is here early this year." She commented and she saw the Prince's eyes light up.

He had been in love with the circus since the first time she'd brought him here when he was ten and the boy was still obsessed with it.

"Maybe you'll find a gypsy girl and fall in love with her." She added, "then you can run away with her and join the circus."

"If only…" He grinned. "I would join without a second thought."

"Haha, well Anabel would be a better ruler than you anyways."

"Honestly if not for the law she should be queen." He replied. "I'm the younger one—she deserves the throne."

They stopped at one of the stables and the prince handed a bag of coins to the stable-boy.

"So are we exploring the circus today?" She asked folding her arms. At least she wouldn't have to muck out the stables today. If the prince asked for her then her chores at the castle would get covered.

"Oh yeah…" The prince grinned and she could tell he was having a hard time controlling his excitement. Even at the age of nineteen he could barely control his excitement.

The circus was just barely beginning to be set up—this was usually Lianna's favourite time to be there. Before the crowds came in and while the circus people were still setting up.

"Lianna! Lucien!" A large man came bounding towards tem his arms held out to embrace them.

"Eddy!" Lucien cried gleefully. "It's been so long, you still remember us?"

"Of course I do little princeling. You almost ruined the circus, what is it, three times now?" The large man pulled them into a tight embrace.

"Any new acts this year Eddy?" Lianna asked dicking under the man's arm and towards where the rest of the circus lay.

"Well, we had to leave Anya at Durn so her replacement is going up for the first time tomorrow night."

"For the tightrope act?" Lianna asked. Anya had actually been one of Lianna's favourites.

"Yes, its this youngling—she's actually not much younger than the princeling."

"She's experienced?" Lianna asked.

"She says she is, Anya seemed to trust her so we're letting her do her thing. She's doing a duo with Haku."

"But Haku is a firebreather—how does tightrope and fire-breating go together?" Lucien asked.

"That's the surprise little Prince."

"So that's the only new thing this year?" She asked.

"Well, yes. Oh Anya left a letter for you by the way." Eddie pulled out an envelope from his pocket.

"What is it?" Lianna asked.

"I'm not sure, she'll be arriving for the last week of the fair—she didn't say what the letter was for."

Lianna nodded. She had known Anya for a long time, she had been the first one she'd met at the Circus, and Lianna looked up to her like an Aunt.

"Well go look around then—maybe one of the acts will let you practice with them." Eddie grinned and walked off to yell at the other circus acts.

"Are you gonna read the letter?" Lucien asked when Eddie left.

"Later probably, I want to go see the replacement for Anya." She said. If she didn't enjoy working at the palace she would have joined the circus a long time ago.

It wasn't just Lucien that loved it so much—though for him it was the circus attractions and the freedom that he found so fun. It had always been an excuse for him to leave the castle-grounds, some sort of ritual.

It was something more for her. She loved the people, and the mischief it brought along. Sometimes she would just want to let it blow her away with it.

But the safety of the castle was enough for her for now.

"It's that tent right?" Lucien asked pointing at one of the taller yet thin tents. "Ugh, its been two years don't blame me for forgetting."

She entered the tent first, and the Prince followed after her.

"Hello?" She called looking around for the replacement tightrope walker.

She could hear the tent flap open and close as Lucien walked it. "I don't think anybody's actually here…"

"I guess we'll have to co-" her sentence was interrupted as she heard a thud on the trampoline and a tiny blonde girl stepped out.

She was small, her hair was curly and went down to her waist and she had big blue eyes that took up half of her face.

"Hi! Who are you?" She asked. Not waiting for their answer. "I'm Mara, from Durn, I'm the new tightrope walker. You might have heard of me if you're one of the circus people but I don't really know many people because I'm new." The girl said all this really fast and stuck out her hand.

"I'm Lianna…" She answered taking the girl's hand to shake and she turned towards Lucien waiting for him to introduce himself.

The boy looked flustered, and she nudged him out of his state. "I-I'm L-lucien." He answered shaking his head. His face had turned cherry red and Lianna raised her eyebrows confused.

She looked back at the girl—who had finally seemed to notice him, her face was slightly red as well and Lianna just felt confused staring at them.

Had they met before? "Do you two know each other?" She asked.

"Um.. I-uh.. I think maybe." The girl answered after a long pause.

"At Lorraine?" Lucien asked. The girl nodded. "You're that girl!" Lucien's face brightened up as he grinned excitedly.

"I didn't think I'd see you again." The girl replied.

" _I_ thought I imagined you!" The boy added.

Lianna slowly edged her way out of the tent remembering the first time Lucien had told her about the girl he'd met in the woods of Lorraine.

He had been convinced he'd met an angel.

He had gone off on his own in the woods and had at some point met an angel crying in the trees. He had been sixteen years old. He had befriended the angel and she had told him a sad story. In the end the angel had given him a kiss and left him in the woods. She remembered the story the angel had told him, something about her father dying and leaving her at the care of her step-family.

He had pined over the angel for a few months until he began to believe he had imagined her.

Lianna grinned and walked towards the other booths, knowing the Prince wouldn't be ready to go home for a while.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lianna could you take the breakfast up to the Princess' room today?" The cook asked when she entered the kitchen. She had just come back from mucking out the stalls and she knew she probably smelled. She was dressed in her men's breeches and a loose shirt, her hair was down however—she had pulled it out of its braids. It was only the cook and the horses that were awake at this hour. And the cook had long since known her secret.

"Could I go wash up really quick?" She asked edging out of the door. She also didn't want to go up to the Princess' room. The girl intimidated her, and she always felt extremely awkward around her. Maybe it was because she was the only stranger that knew her secret.

"Yes, but hurry up. The princess will be awake soon, I'd rather the food get there before she gets up."

Lianna nodded and rushed off to wash up.

She didn't take more than ten minutes, and the servant's washing area was completely empty.

With her wet hair loose down to her waist she squeezed the water out of it as she ran towards the kitchens.

"Good you're here." The cook nodded as she pointed towards a tray full breakfast items.

"Wouldn't it get cold by the time she wakes up?" Lianna asked picking up the tray. The cook shook her head.

"The princess wakes up early—she usually comes down to get her food by herself but this week she requested someone to bring it up for her."

"Oh." She replied. "Why?"

"Lianna, how do you figure I would know?" The woman asked as she fretted around the room pulling bread out of the over while frying eggs at the same time.

"Oh please Nan, you know her better than anyone in this castle. She's always in here."

"Just go give her her food Lianna."

She walked out of the kitchens and into the hallway, slightly annoyed. She had figured that she would be able to wash up and finish all of her work for the day before noon so that she could go to town.

She hadn't been able to visit the town for a week now—the prince hadn't asked for her therefore she had to attend to her chores.

The problem was whenever she was in the stables cleaning some noblewoman would come in and ask for lessons on the horse. It was infuriating. They had apparentely heard that the prince enjoyed riding very much and now they all wanted to be accomplished in the art.

The Princess' room was the highest room, placed right above the courtyard—it was quite a steep climb through stairs and especially with a heavy tray of food.

She knocked twice before slowly opening the door. She had been in this room exactly two times before—both times the Princess hadn't actually been in it.

"You can put it by the table, thank you!" She heard a voice call out from the other side of the room.

Lianna nodded and placed the tray where the voice had told her to. She was getting ready to leave when she saw the Princess walk into view from the corner of her eye.

"Oh it's you!" She turned towards the voice. The princess stood on the other end of the room, holding a hairbrush halfway through her long blonde hair and her face tinted slightly red. Was she blushing?

"Do you need anything else your highness?" She asked. The Princess shook her head.

"N-no…" She stuttered out and Lianna raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, well, I'll be going your highness." She did a little curtsy before heading towards the door.

"W-wait!" The girl called out again and Lianna turned, slightly annoyed at her.

"Yes, your highness." She was cutting into her chore time. She really wanted to visit the circus today and if the Princess didn't hurry up and decide what she wanted she wouldn't be able to finish the rest of her chores.

"W-what are you doing today?" She raised her eyebrows at the girl. Why in the world did the princess need to know what she was going t do today.

"Why m'lady?" She asked, not really wanting to give her an answer.

"Are you going to the circus?" The girl asked.

"If you need someone to escort you your highness, I think it's best if you ask one of the knights." She answered. She really didn't want to have to escort the princess the whole day—she would have to follow the girl around everywhere.

"No…" The girl answered. "No, I need your help."

"With?"

"I need you to help me follow my brother to the Circus."

"Your brother?" Lianna asked surprised. "Why do you need to follow him?"

"Because he's in love with some girl in the Circus and I want to see if she's good enough for him." The girl looked at her dead in the eye and answered as if waiting for her to challenge her.

"How do you plan on doing that?" She asked.

"Help me dress up like you do—I don't want anyone to know who I am."

"Like a boy?" She asked. "I don't think you would be able to pull that off very easily Princess." It was one thing for Lianna, the Princess positively glowed femininity.

"No, I just need to pass of as not a princess." Lianna nodded wondering why she needed to meet the girl so badly. But who was she to question the princess?

"I doubt you have proper clothes?" She asked looking at the princess' nightgown which looked like it was pure silk and could feed a village family for a month.

She shook her head and Lianna had to stifle a sigh.

"Okay, I'll have to finish my chores before I'm allowed to leave for town. But I'll bring up a dress so you can change into it. You're probably about my size."

The princess agreed to meet her at around noon—the girl still looked flustered when Lianna left and she decided to just shrug it off.

Noblewomen were all strange.

Though the Princess was especially strange—disregarding her request which was another strange thing. It wasn't like the prince was very secretive about his interest in the circus girl. And he usually told his sister everything so she doubted that he would prevent her from meeting the girl if she wanted to. This level of secrecy didn't make any sense to her but she kept her mouth shit and when she had finished her chores she picked out one of her three dresses that she owned and brought it up for the princess to change into.

She needed help tying the bodice of the dress which Lianna always found funny about noblewomen. It wasn't that difficult.

The princess was still recognizable by the stable staff—who looked surprised to see her dressed in a maids dress.

She had changed into pants and boots underneath her dress, deciding that she would take the dress off after leaving castle grounds.

"They wont recognize me in town will they?" The girl asked and Lianna shook her head.

"Don't worry your highness, they've never seen you up close. For them you'll just look like any old maiden."

The girl nodded. "Okay."

She wasn't wholly telling the truth however, the princess was simply too pretty. Even wearing her raggedy dress, she would be pulling eyes of everyone she crossed paths with.

Somehow she made even the rags look beautiful.

"Is there something wrong?" The princess asked and Lianna shook her head looking away not realizing that she had been staring.

"No, nothing's wrong." She answered quietly, feeling her face heat up.

It didn't take them long to get out of the castle grounds, and she rode her stallion off the trail as the princess followed behind confusedly.

"Where are we going?" The girl asked and Lianna ignored her getting off her horse once she was out of view from the street.

The girl looked confused as Lianna quickly untied her dress and pulled it off.

"What are you doing?" The princess asked. Lianna continued to ignore her as she packed her dress away and quickly braided away her hair putting a hat on above it.

She plastered some of the dirt from the ground on to her face and got back on her horse.

"I had to change." She answered and the princess just looked at her—she couldn't decide whether the look was stunned or amazed.

They rode in silence for a while until they reached the town.

"Is that the circus?" She asked pointing at the tents they could see beyond the houses.

She nodded, riding a little bit faster. Now that she saw the circus she was a little bit more excited. The princess would be pretty safe if she stayed in the circus by herself—this way she'd be able to wander by herself with a lot less worry, just like she had planned.

"Is that where the girl is?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'll take you to her tent don't worry." The princess nodded as they rode through the town. The girl looked around the town as if she had never seen anything like that before and she probably hadn't.

The royal family made visits to the town once or twice a year and the princess never actually rode around here. She would visit orphanages sometimes or come down to certain shops but that would usually be under heavy guard and a carriage would drive her straight to the door of wherever she wanted to visit.

"Everything is so crowded." The girl commented and Lianna couldn't help but laugh out loud. The Princess' obliviousness was so ridiculous.

The girl looked at her confusedly, "Did I say something funny?"

She shook her head, not knowing if she would anger the Princess. Lucien normally laughed when she made fun of his privilege but she didn't know how the princess would react.

"No… its not you don't worry." She shook her head and continued, though not able to keep the small smile off her face.

The Princess didn't make a sound the rest of the way, not even after they had left their horses at the stables and had reached the circus. She wondered if she had offended but she doubted it.

The girl was looking at the tents nervously. It was a vastly different reaction from the prince's.

"Her tent is that one…" Lianna pointed at the tightrope walker's tent. "Do you want me to come with you?" She asked praying that the princess would say she could leave.

"No… I can go by myself." She answered and Lianna nodded relieved.

The Princess made her way to the tents and Lianna walked off towards the booths.

She walked around enjoying the sights, the circus wasn't very crowded right now—it was only its second week, normally the last two weeks were the most crowded. They tended to stay at the capitol for a month and a half to two months before leaving for their next location.

"How long is Eddie planning on staying this year?" She asked one of the face-painting booth workers.

She got a shrug for a reply, "He said we'd be staying for a few months this time but he wasn't really specific."

She nodded. A few months, the last time they'd stayed longer than a month had been when Lucien was fifteen and they had been here for five months before leaving. Circus' never actually spent more than a couple months anywhere—but the capitol was the best place for business.

"She walked to where she guessed was Eddie's tent, pulling out the letter he had given her from Anya. The letter was by now wrinkled up and folded as if she had read it a million times.

She had, she'd practically memorized the letter and the offer that lay inside it. She opened the tent flap and poked her head inside.

"Eddie?" She asked as she walked in. Sure enough the large circus manager sat comfortably behind his desk.

"You read the letter I presume?" The man asked and she nodded.

"Is she serious about this offer?" She asked and the man nodded.

"We have room for you on the caravan when we go back to Lorraine." He replied and she shook her head.

"Yes, but this means Anya is leaving for good." She waved the paper around, "and you know the new girl won't be staying for long. Especially now that her and Lucien…"

"Its been a week Lianna, you don't know if that will last."

She raised her eyebrows. "I know Lucien… him and that girl are in love."

Eddie nodded. "You have time before you decide don't worry. And Anya is coming in a week so you can take this up with her."

"I don't know Eddie, I love it here. You know that." She said sitting down on the chair across from the desk.

"You love it here because you've never seen anywhere else Lianna. Leave the palace at least once." The girl shook her head.

"I'll think about it." She replied, knowing that she probably wouldn't. She didn't want to leave—she was content at the castle. Sure the circus tempted her slightly—she loved adventure—and she wanted to see things but leaving the palace now felt like jumping off a cliff. She was fine staying safely in the edge.

"I hope you do child, you have a lot of potential." The man sighed. "And you love the circus more than the little Princeling."

"Nobody loves the circus more than him." She rolled her eyes chuckling.

"You don't show it as much but I know you do." She shrugged not knowing how to reply.

"I think I'm here all day if there's anything you want me to do." She said changing the subject.

"You think?" Eddie asked. "Normally when you come you stay until the royal's dinner-time."

"Yeah well, I brought the Princess with me this time." She answered.

"The Princess?" Eddie looked confused. "I thought that one never left the castle."

She laughed. "She's here to spy on her brother's girlfriend."

He raised his eyebrows. "That princeling better not be bringing me any trouble I swear…" He muttered as he wen through the large stack of papers in his desk.

"The lion-tamer has a slight cold—maybe you could go run some practices for him. You think you could come back tonight for the show?"

She nodded. "I finished all my chores, so unless a royal has an incredibly specific request regarding horses I'll be free after dropping off the Princess."

Eddie grinned, "See? This is why you should come down with us. You love it here."

She shook her head. "Drop it Eddie, or at least wait until Anya comes back."

She left the tent slightly annoyed at Eddie's insistence. It was true she loved the circus, but a lot of people loved the circus—that didn't mean they needed to leave their homes to join it.

It was illogical to expect her to leave her life behind to simply travel. Of course, there was a small voice in her head asking her why not. It wasn't like she had a family to stay for, she was a free spirit—she had no responsibilities.

No reason to stay—but she also had no reason to leave.

The lion-tamer's tent was across the grounds from where the Princess was supposed to be so she was surprised to see the girl walking out of one of the tents and into town.

 _What was she doing?_


	3. Chapter 3

She followed after the Princess, the lion-tamer could wait. The girl had never actually been to town, and she doubted that she could take care of herself.

 _What was the girl thinking?_ She groaned.

She followed closely behind but made sure the girl didn't notice her. She didn't know why she was walking into the town but she was curious. Nothing the girl had done so far made any sense. Even her desire to come down to the town made no sense.

To meet her brother's lover—but why in such secrecy? And now she was leaving the circus and going into town. There was no way the princess could be stupid enough to think she would be able to find her way around.

The girl was walking into the marketplace, and she seemed to be following someone. She struggled through the crowd, and she could hear her saying excuse-me every time she bumped into someone. Lianna thought she was simply ridiculous.

She walked to the edge of the marketplace and into the alleyways. Lianna quickened her pace, she was almost right behind the princess who still hadn't noticed that she was being followed.

She followed her into the alleyways, and into the darker part of the marketplace.

This was ridiculous, she was about to stop the princess when the girl stopped all on her own.

"Shit." She heard the girl swear out loud. Where in the world had the Princess learned to swear?

The girl turned and Lianna moved into the crowds so that she could go unnoticed.

 _What was going on?_

The Princess slowly made her way back the way she had come, and Lianna sighed. At least she wasn't going into the rest of town—Lianna had been down there and she knew the Princess wouldn't have lasted two seconds down there.

The girl was slower this time, she stopped at almost every vendor to look at things, and Lianna had almost stopped paying attention when she heard one of the vendors yell.

""Thief! This girl! Thief!" She looked at where the man was pointing, the Princess stood frightened holding an apple in her hand.

"I-I didn't take it…" She could hear the girl trying to defend herself. "Th-the monkey." She pointed at something above the vendors stand.

Lianna rolled her eyes.

"Maria!" She yelled taking the apple swiftly from the girl's hand. "I'm sorry sir, this is my sister. She clearly isn't right in the head."

The man stared at her confused.

"She's had a lot of problems sir. You have to forgive her." Lianna handed the Apple to the vendor, "We can pay you for your troubles." She gave a short glare at the Princess who nodded obediently at the vendor.

The vendor shook his head. "It's alright, just don't let her loose around the marketplace." He replied and she began to drag the Princess along her way when she heard a loud crash behind her.

This time she saw the monkey the Princess had been yelling about. It seemed to grin at them before bounding off the vendor's food and into the roofs.

"Stupid children!" The vendor yelled. "Thieves! Both of them." He pointed at Lianna and the Princess.

"Run!" She cried at the Princess who so far had just been staring scared at the vendor's stall.

She clasped onto the girl's hand and dragged her along behind her.

 _She had_ not _signed up for this. The girl was way too much trouble, next time she was asked to bring her breakfast she would fake an illness._

"I-I'm so sorry Lianna." The Princess yelled as they ran through the crowd. The marketplace guards were still chasing after them and Lianna pulled the Princess into one of the alleyways.

She watched as the guards ran past them and she pulled the girl into the house next to them and ran up the steps.

"C'mon Princess it's not over yet." She mumbled as she reached the roof. The circus was only three houses away and once they were there she could get the princess out and back to the castle.

"Where are we going?" The girl asked and Lianna ignored her and dragged her through the rooftops. Thankfully they were all joined and they didn't need to make any leaps.

She looked down, the marketplace guards were walking back now and she waited for them to pass by quietly before beginning to go back down the stairs.

That was until she heard a loud scream behind her. The guards looked up, one of them pointed at the Princess who was now pointing at the wall.

"What now Princess?" She asked sounding angrier than she was. The Princess' expression went from scared to apologetic.

"Th-there was a rat…" The girl started. And she shook her head realizing that the guards were on their way up.

They were stuck on the roofs. She looked down, the circus was on the other side of the building and once they got in there—it was so crowded the guards would never find them.

She ran over to the other side of the roof, the princess close behind her. There was a booth, and she could tell that if they jumped from this height they would land safely on the stack of hay piled neatly by the booth.

She climbed up over to the edge of the rooftop, holding her hand out for the Princess to follow suit.

"What are you doing?" The girl asked as she followed her to the edge.

The girl looked so confused and frightened that Lianna couldn't help but give her a grin.

"Do you trust me?" She asked and the Princess nodded without hesitation. She clasped the Princess' hand harder. "Okay then, when I say—Jump!" She exclaimed, pulling the girl down and jumping into the hay.

She pulled the Princess towards her as they landed and the girl fell comfortably into the hay and halfway on top of her.

She pushed her off with one hand and clasped her hand with the other and dragged her along into the crowd.

"Okay, we just have to lay low now Princess. Don't worry, there's no way they can catch us now." The Princess was still clutching on to her hand and she didn't really mind.

The girl was probably frightened out of her mind. For her first time into town this was probably way too much adventure.

She was right about the guards though, they didn't even come down into the crowds. She had pulled the princess along with her to the lion tamers, and now the girl was watching intently as Lianna petted the lion and positioned the hoops for it to jump through.

"I'm really sorry Lianna," The princess said for the fifth time since they had gotten back.

Lianna shrugged. "It's okay your highness. It _is_ my job you know…"

She gave the Princess a smile feeling slightly sorry for the girl. She was curling her fingers through her hair—a nervous habit she had noticed.

"Do you want to pet the lion?" She asked and the Princess gave her an eager nod. Lianna was slightly surprised when the Princess easily walked up and came close to the lion. For someone who had been so afraid of a tiny rat just moments ago she seemed completely comfortable stroking her hands through a giant lion's mane.

"It's so soft!" she gasped, looking up at Lianna. Her eyes brightening up. "This is why you and Lucien love the circus so much?" She asked.

Lianna laughed. "A part of why." She petted the lion alongside the Princess.

"Lucien would rather join the circus than be the king." The Princess added. "I think I can see why—sort of."

"Really?" Lianna asked.

The girl nodded. "He doesn't like being cooped up in the castle, he likes freedom. The circus is this never-ending adventure right? I mean, there's things like lions, and fire-eaters and tightrope walkers."

Lianna smiled. "Yes, I guess there is."

"Have you ever thought about joining?" The Princess asked.

Lianna shrugged. "Not really. I feel comfortable in the castle. I like the circus but…" She trailed off. This was the second time she was having this conversation today.

"But being comfortable is different from living… that's was Mother always says." The Princess added quietly looking directly at Lianna. Lianna felt her heart skip a beat.

 _Different from living…._

"I don't know… I think if I brought you to town more that's enough adventure for me." She joked and the Princess laughed.

They were quiet for a moment while Lianna set up the last of the Lion's obstacle course.

"You know what I've always wanted to see?" the Princess asked. "A tiger. I've always wanted a tiger for a pet. That would be so amazing."

Lianne shook her head grinning. "Maybe you belong in the Circus Princess."

The girl laughed. "I don't know if adventure is my thing."

Lianna shook her head. "Then if I ever decide to join the circus, I'll make sure to find a tiger cub and bring it back for you." She promised.

The Princess gave her a dazzling smile, and Lianna felt her face heat up again.

Maybe the Princess wasn't too bad. She could see a little bit of Lucien's influence on her.

"Did you get to do what you came for?" She asked moving to the other side of the tent. The Princess had let go of the lion and Lianna was now holding her hand out for the lion to follow her commands.

"In a way. Mara seems like a very sweet girl." She replied.

"So is she good enough for him?" Lianna asked. Giving the lion a pat as it jumped through the first hoop.

"That I think we'll see over time, but he seems to like her very much."

"Oh he's smitten he is." Lianna chuckled remembering the first time they'd gone home from the circus. He hadn't shut up about her.

"Well if she hurts him she has to face the wrath of the entire circus it seems like…" The Princess said and Lianna nodded.

That _was_ true.

"Don't worry your highness, I think they're going to work out." Lianna replied handing the Lion a treat after it passed through its last hoop.

"You can all me Bel.. or Ana…" The Princess said, Lianna blushed.

"Yes Princes—Anabel." She said feeling strange saying the Princess' name.

The girl gave her the bright smile again and Lianna couldn't help but take note of how the smile brightened her entire face.


	4. Chapter 4

-THE PRINCESS POV-

Lianna had brought her up to her room after they left the circus. They had gotten there just in time for dinner—which Anabel wasn't really too eager for. They were dining with the ambassadors today which meant talk of Anabel's future.

"If there's nothing else you need Princess," the girl gave her a short curtsy before making motion to leave. Anabel wished she'd actually call her by her name but the girl seemed to ignore her every time she requested it.

"I need to give you your dress back." Anabel replied and the girl just raised her eyebrows. She seemed to do that a lot, raise her eyebrows.

Everything Anabel said the girl would just give her a look before giving a distant and calm answer. How was a girl like this such close friends with a complete goof like her brother. It made no sense.

"I can come pick it up later your highness, you'll be late for your dinner if you don't get ready soon." Anabel nodded not having any argument. She couldn't really think of anything to make the girl stay.

That had been her problem the past year. Finding an excuse to talk to her. It had started out as a mere curiousity—the girl was strange. She walked around dressed in men's clothing and she was incredibly adept at fighting.

Most of the knights, she had seen from the courtyard, seemed to stay away from her while sparring. And she could almost always best her brother—even if most of her opponents were double her size.

Her brother talked about her a lot—especially when it came to his stories of adventure. She had fought off an entire gang of thieves once when they had gotten trapped on the wrong parts of the town—and she had gotten away without a scratch.

Her curiosity had grown but she had always been afraid to approach the girl. Whenever she tried she would get short polite answers.

That was half her reason for going down to town—of course she had wanted to see the girl her brother was so infatuated with but also she had wanted to see what Lianna was like.

The girl hadn't made it very easy to talk to—and now Anabel sat on her bed, already dressed in her dinner gown.

She had completely embarrassed herself, from getting yelled at by the vendors to making Lianna have to save her from the market guards. She had even screamed when she saw the rat.

She felt horrible, but at the same time she felt lighter. Having spent the entire day with her.

A year later and her crush on her brother's best friend hadn't subsided. Having followed her around for the day—it had only increased her feelings.

She was very beautiful—it was something Anabel had first noticed ten years ago when her brother had introduced them.

She had a tanned face from spending so much of her time outdoors and even under the grime she always seemed to wipe all over her face Anabel could see her freckles. They were light, only a few shades darker than her skin and her large brown eyes were kinder than the rest of her face. She had high cheekbones and a firm mouth that was always set in a serious line. Except sometimes—rarely when Anabel saw her smiling.

Lucien said Lianna smiled a lot—but all the instances when Anabel saw her, mostly while serving dinner, she looked serious. Sometimes even angry.

She saw more of the smiling today than any other time before—but even then it was later on in the day.

Lianna's dress lay folded on her dresser table and Anabel got up, putting the dress over one arm. She was the Princess, if she wanted something then she would have to go do it herself. Lucien had told her that when she'd asked him for advice—of course she hadn't told anyone who it was that she was so confused over.

She would go—she would go down and find the girl herself, then she would return the dress and actually make conversation with her. Otherwise she would be thinking the day over and over again all night.

"I'm not joking Janie, I'm not covering for you again. You know I hate serving." Lianne growled at the maid that was now sitting on her bed.

"Please, Lianna, I'll work your next lunch shifts for a week!"

She shook her head. "I've covered for you for the past two weeks. What do you even do at night?"

The girl sighed. "Fine, I'll just ask Marta instead."

Lianna raised her eyebrows. "You ask Marta to cover for you and the whole castle will be talking about it until next year."

"That's why I asked you first!" the maid called Janie exclaimed. "And you know I cover when you leave for afternoons sometimes."

Lianna glared. "I finish all of my work before leaving."

"Oh please Li, you work in the castle you can't be done with chores."

Lianna sighed. "I can't keep covering for you—you know what will happen if they find out you're never here at nights. _Nights_ Janie."

"I ask you because you don't ask questions Lianna. Please." The girl was practically begging.

"I don't usually ask questions—but I'd like to know you're safe." The girl just shrugged.

"Just tell me if you'll do it or not."

"I can do it." She signed knowing Janie wasn't just slacking over her job. "But you know I won't judge you for your choices. I'm your friend Janie."

The girl nodded. "I'm fine Li, I'll do your afternoon shifts."

She nodded—watching as the girl packed a small purse with a piece of bread and a jar of what looked like soup.

She had put on her dinner uniform even though there was still a half hour before it began. Thankfully she didn't have to also do the set-up.

She was sure dinner would end early today, it was a meeting with the ambassadors and those meetings were always terribly awkward. She would be able to make it to the circus if she rushed.

She even had her pants on underneath the gown in case she was asked to clean up.

"Thank you so much Li!" Her friend called out before running out of their quarters.

Lianna shared her room with two other girls. Janie was one of them and the other girl was Marta.

Many of the workers in the castle lived in the village—but there were some such as herself and the cook, along with Marta and Janie who lived in the castle.

Janie had been sent from across the country by her aunt and uncle who couldn't afford to feed her themselves. They were hoping she would be promoted to a Lady's made or something similar.

Marta was an orphan like Janie, only the Queen had taken pity to her when she had visited one of the orphanages in town and adopted the girl. Marta had been eight, when her parents had died of the plague she still remembered them.

Lianna was braiding her hair into two braids, when she heard a knock at the door. Janie had shut the door when she'd left and Lianna wondered if she should bother getting up to open it.

Maybe if she pretended she wasn't there. It was probably one of the other maids looking for Marta or Janie—usually Marta. There was always someone looking for Marta.

It usually took her hours to braid her hair properly—especially since she had let it grow out so long. Usually she had it down to her shoulders but recently she hadn't had the time to cut it and so it hung down to her hips.

She had bunned it up into a hat when she'd gone out today but if she didn't braid it out of the way now she wouldn't have time to do it later at the circus.

Whoever was at the door didn't seem to get that there was nobody inside as they knocked again—even louder this time.

"The door's not locked!" She yelled out—undoing her braid.

"S-sorry." She turned around to see the princess standing at the door frame holding a folded clothing on one hand.

She had her dinner gown on already and her blonde hair was let down in long loose waves.

She was biting her lips as if terribly nervous and she looked hesitant to come in.

"What are you doing here your highness?" She asked getting up to take the clothes from her arm. It was odd that she would come down herself to return her clothes.

"Oh… well I wasn't busy so I supposed that I could just come down and return your clothes to you."

"Oh…" Lianna answered taking the dress and placing it in her closet. It had a few stains on the skirt but it didn't really require washing.

"Thank you your highness," she gave a short curtsy. "Is there anything you'd like… or…?"

"Oh… me?" The Princess seemed extremely fidgety and Lianna ran her hand through her hair awkwardly.

"N-no… I guess not. That was all."

"Thank you your highness." She waited for the girl to leave but she just fidgeted by the door.

"Um… thank you for today too… it was really nice—the circus and the lion and stuff."

 _Why was the girl dragging out a conversation?_ Lianna wondered, beginning to braid her hair again—maybe she would get te message if she started doing something. Thirty minutes until she had to get to dinner and it took her much longer to be able to do a proper braid. She needed her hair out of her face.

The Princess just stood there for what actually seemed like an eternity—it was probably a minute—before she opened her mouth to stutter again.

"D-do you n-need help? Braiding your hair… I mean…?" The princess asked. Lianna raised her eyebrows.

"Can you do it well?" She asked. Her tone coming out incredibly informal.

The Princess nodded. "Yes, I've seen how you usually do it. I can do it in two minutes."

Lianna nodded. "If you want to your highness."

The Princess followed her to the chair in her dresser where Lianna sat down as the Princess started tugging on her hair.

"Are you going back to the circus tonight?" The Princess asked as the quickly finished her braid on one side of her hair.

"Yes, I'm doing the Lion show tonight." She answered.

"Oh! Really?" The princess said excitedly. "It's so amazing that you can get the lion to do those tricks."

Lianna smiled. "So you actually liked the circus today?"

"Yes, of course. The whole trip was fun."

"Even the part where we had to run away from the guards?" Lianna laughed asking. She had honestly enjoyed it—annoying the market guards was one of her favourite hobbies although she doubted the princess would share that.

"It was scary—but I think I enjoyed that better than staying in the castle practicing my embroidery." The Princess replied, her tone was light and Lianna could detect a slight tone of distaste at the mention of practicing her embroidery.

"Would you like to go again tonight your highness?" Lianna found herself offering before she even realized it. She could feel the Princess stop midway through her braid.

"Tonight? Really?" She asked.

"Y-you probably wouldn't want to." Lianne replied, stuttering herself for the first time. _What had made her offer that?_

"Oh…" was all the Princess said as she finished braiding and tied up her hair.

Lianna turned around—suddenly feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"Could I really?" The Princess asked eagerly.

Lianna felt a relieved smile form on her face as she saw the Princess' face flush red. "Of course! You could help me set up before the show."

The Princess nodded. "I'll see you after dinner then?" She asked and Lianna nodded back.

Had she really offered to take the Princess to the circus at night?

The circus show wouldn't end until an hour before midnight—meaning that by the time the got back it would be one in the morning.

 _This_ was going to be hard to pull off.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I took a while oops... but I'm definitely going to be able to do two chapters a week/ or even every other day until the end of summer for this!**

 **And please feel free to review and critique as much as possible- because everything I publish here is the draft-iest of drafts and I really appreciate the reviews. Don't worry about being rude-just write what you think!**

 **And check out my other stories which are also in the draftiest of draft versions. I put Arranged back up again- it takes place in the same world as this.**

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"We could hold a ball, in honor of your choice." The king boomed across the table at his son.

Lianna cringed looking at the expression on Lucien's face.

"Father, I don't think that that is necessary."

"Tell us about her boy. How did you meet her?" The man asked and Lianna could see the gleeful look on the Queen's face. The meeting with the ambassadors had been cancelled due to the news Lucien had brought.

"I-I… father I want you to just meet her first."

"Oh c'mon boy—why all the secrecy? There's nothing wrong with her is there?" The old king laughed. She could see the Princess' lips press together giving a stern look towards her brother.

"I've met her father," the girl piped out. "she's really very sweet."

"You have?" Lucien and the King both asked at once.

She nodded, "Yes, I met her today actually. Don't worry mother, father, you both will adore her."

The Prince nodded, Lianna could see him looking quizzically at his sister.

"Well, there has to be a ball, you can introduce her to us then and to the country."

The Prince nodded, putting the soup spoon to his mouth.

"Oh a ball!" The Princess exclaimed gleefully. "Maman, we should begin planning straight away—we haven't had a good ball for a year now."

And they all began discussing the party—while Lucien gave her a panicked look. Lianna had no clue what the Princess was up to by encouraging something such as a ball. There was no way the King and Queen would actually be happy with the Prince choosing to wed a common girl—especially someone he'd picked up at the circus.

Before the dinner could end the Princess excused herself—making some flimsy excuse of having a slight stomachache.

"If you're not feeling well get one of the maids to go with you." The Princess' mother asked and the girl nodded to her.

"Lianna, could you come with me?" She asked and Lianna nodded trying to hide the grin that she could feel about to come up on her face. The Princess was smarter than she had given her credit for, now Linnea would be early enough to the show that she could change as well as perform with no rush.

When they got outside of the dining hall Lianna sped up to walk along beside the Princess. "So what's the plan your highness?" She asked letting her grin out.

CHAPTER 5

Lianna stood outside the tents when her lion show had ended, changed into her maid's dress holding the reigns of the Princess' mare.

The Princess had offered to help clean the seats after the show had ended and Lianna had been able to put the lions away fast enough to have time to get the horse.

It was getting cold outside and she opened the flap of the tent pulling the mare inside with her.

"Are you ready to go your highness?" She asked when she spotted the Princess across the tent brooming the debris out from under the bleachers.

"Let me just finish with the seats and I'll be right out." Lianna found it odd to see the Princess doing something as simple as brooming.

She walked over to the girl holding her hand out to take the broom from her.

"No it's okay, I can do it myself." The Princess protested, Lianna was surprised. She didn't push harder though, instead she nodded and let the girl continue sweeping the floor.

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Lianna asked the Princess. The girl looked up nodding.

"Yes, it was very exciting! I can see why you and Lucien enjoy it so much!"

Lianna nodded, the Princess had seemed to have enjoyed herself. For the parts that Lianna had seen her for anyways. The girl had been sitting in the audience during some of the Lion Show and had helped set up beforehand however she had lost track of her around the end.

"Did you enjoy doing the Lion Show? You were awfully good at it. Your audience seemed very excited." Lianna laughed.

"I'm glad you liked it."

"Well, maybe if you come to more of these shows you might be able to try it too." The Princess looked at her disbelievingly.

"I couldn't! Could I?" The girl looked beyond excited.

Until now her conversations with the Princess were formal and more stiff, especially since unlike Lucien the Princess seemed like a real authority figure. Someone she wouldn't want to offend.

But that night, the Princess seemed like a completely different girl. She had her hair up in two messy braids, there was soot on her face and she was dressed in breeches.

She didn't look like the Princess. Thought, even under all of the peasantry she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

Her skin had a faint glow and Lianna caught herself turning her head to look at her often.

The Lion Taming became a nightly ritual after this first time. For the next three weeks, Lianna was summoned to the Princess' room many times and she would, every night without fail sneak the Princess out to the circus where the girl would help her do the lion show. Even after the actual Lion Tamer began working, Lianna would drop her off at the tent and come pick her back up again at night.

It was one night two weeks later when she was helping the Princess, who by now she was comfortably calling Anabel, sweep the floors that she began to realize something.

"The masked ball is to be held in two nights…" The Princess started, they were alone in the tent.

"Yes, we've begun preparations already for it." Lianna answered, thinking back to the multitude of cake tastings the cook had made her sit through that morning.

"Yes…" The Princess replied pausing her work. "Lucien is going to announce his bride, the girl from the Circus then."

"Oh…" Lianna nodded.

"Yes…" The Princess stopped again. "I was wondering if you would like to come. I could get you a dress and an invitation."

Lianna raised her eyebrows. To be completely honest it wasn't something she was too keen on, she preferred the sidelines. Balls seemed gorgeous, but only to look at from afar.

"If you would like I mean, I would like you to come, it would be more fun for me…" The Princess trailed off and Lianna laughed.

"Balls aren't really my thing." She answered slowly. "I mean, they're pretty and dancing is always fun but they seem dull in a way."

"Oh…" Anabel nodded looking despondent. "Yes, well you don't have to go if you don't want to. I would like you to though…"

Lianna nodded, she didn't want to go. Not really. "I don't think it would be appropriate for me, I work in the stables."

Anabel laughed, throwing her head back and then leaning her chin on the top of the broomstick.

" Who would know? It'll be fun." The girl grinned. "And nobody would have to know. Please…?"

"Princess, I wouldn't know the first thing to do in a ball."

"You wouldn't have to, you could follow me I'd show you."

Lianna sighed, "That's not going to happen your highness." She tried to say as respectfully as she could while still trying to add a tone of finality in her words.

The Princess nodded, "well, I hope I see you there anyways."

Lianna couldn't help but let a grin out at the Princess' insistence. "Would you like to head back now?" she asked as the Princess got up from where she was sitting.

The Princess had surprised her, she was nothing like what she had expected. Before, Lianna wouldn't have said there was any way she could ever become friends with someone like her but as the days had gone by, especially with the Princess' amazement from the circus she realized that she had been too quick to judge. She was in a way, a little like Lucien, which was to be expected since they were siblings, but unlike Lucien Lianna was still incredibly intimidated by the girl. Now that she was an actual person- she wondered if it helped lessen the intimidation or if it made it even worse.

She wasn't just beautiful now, the girl had actual personality, her eyes lit up looking at the circus and leaving the castle. She got excited whenever she saw something new, and to the Princess everything was something new. It added to the beauty.

"Lianna," the Princess started when they were halfway to the castle breaking the silence that they had been riding under for the past twenty minutes. "How did you get to working in the castle.?"

Lianna shrugged. She hadn't been asked that question in a long time, not by anyone that she would actually have to answer to. Normally some stable boy would ask her, or someone new to the castle would but she would usually avoid answering it.

"Didn't Lucien tell you?" Lianna asked instead of giving any type of answer.

"Not really, nobody actually talks about it. Everyone just says you've always been working here."

"Oh…" Lianna didn't say anything for a while, letting the silence linger. She wondered if she really needed to answer, it wasn't a very interesting answer.

The Princess didn't really speak after that but she could feel the girl's gaze on her and it was making her face heat up.

"They found me on the steps of the kitchen. I don't really know… maybe some maid in the castle didn't think she could take care of me and thought the castle would take me in." That was the most practical answer, and she was probably right.

"Oh… have you ever wondered though?" The Princess asked.

"Wondered what?"

"Well, you could be anyone." Lianna couldn't help but laugh out loud at the Princess' naiive response.

"I suppose you're right. Who do you think I am Princess?" She challenged.

"I don't know, I'd have to think what would be the most exciting?"

Lianna gave her a large grin, she was starting to feel more comfortable.

"Maybe you're a fae.. Maybe a changeling!" The Princess' voice was filled with excitement and Lianna just laughed in response. "Or the daughter of some foreign royalty and they're looking for you now."

"Would that make me a Princess as well your highness?" She asked.

"Then you wouldn't be able to avoid balls." The girl answered.

Lianna grinned, "Let me be something more exciting."

"What do you want to be?" The Princess asked. "Fae is quite exciting."

"I don't know, something I would enjoy being."

"What about a pirate? Maybe you're some large pirate lord's lost daughter!"

Lianna laughed. "Yes, and my only alleigance will be to you your highness."

"Oh will it? Will you be living in the lonely isles with the pirates and other vagabonds?"

"That is my future your highness, I shall join my people soon." She joked.

"That's quite a ways from here Lianna, would I never see you?" The Princess asked saying her name. Lianna's stomach tightened when her name was spoken.

"Once every ten years right? Since being the pirate queen will keep me so busy."

They had reached the castle now and the stables were only a few paces away.

"We're here your highness." Lianna said quietly as she dismounted her mare and watched the princess do the same.

It didn't take them long to get back to the castle, the Princess went in through the servant's entrance and Lianna found herself walking her to her rooms.

"Thank you for taking me tonight." The Princess began before entering her room. "It was really amazing!"

Lianna nodded, she could feel the heat radiating on the Princess that was how close they were standing.

"Well, good night Princess." She said taking a step back. The Princess nodded.

"You should really call me Anabel." The girl said and Lianna just grinned knowing full well it would take a lot before she would start listening to her.

"Goodnight Lianna."

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